How to Prepare for Your Monthly, When You Have Endometriosis. Mel Shares 10 of Her Secrets…

We all dread it. That monthly period that comes around when we least want it to. Isn’t it funny how it always seems to come on the worst possible day! Or perhaps there just doesn’t seem to be a “good” day for having one’s period.

Anyways, over the years I have developed a good little set of secrets, which I use to make the days less painful. Now, I notice a distinct difference between when I follow these little secrets and when I don’t, and it is amazing how effective they are in making the pain levels just that little bit more bearable.

So, here goes:

Increase your omega 3 oil quota two weeks before and definitely during your cycle. This has to do with those little guys called prostaglandins. These guys need omega 3 to produce positive prostaglandin reactions, reducing clotting, inflammation and pain levels. If we don’t have enough of these omega 3s available, then it stimulates the opposite effect of pain, inflammation and clotting.

Reduce the quantity of inflammatory foods in your diet a few days before your period or ideally throughout your diet. The most inflammatory foods are those that are produced directly from grains or feed off grains. So, those include chicken, farmed fish, breads, pastries etc. They contain high volumes of omega 6, which causes an inflammatory reaction in the body.

Drink heaps of water before and during your period. This is a great way to flush things out but it also reduces inflammation. I know it often initially feels worse to drink heaps of water, especially if suffer from interstitial cystitis. If you don’t drink heaps of water at the moment, it takes about two weeks for your body to adjust.

Get ready for the big first day. It is usually the first one that is the hardest for me, but some of us get more sore on day 2. I get some castor oil from the pharmacy. I use the castor oil as a massager on my tummy for during the day; you can wear clothes over it and it doesn’t stick or stain.

Try not to take on anything particularly stressful or emotional those few days before your period. I know this is not always avoidable but it is likely that you will be emotional and stress more during those days, which will affect your period pain more too. If you can postpone things to the week after your period or increase your destress techniques more during that time, do that. It is also important not to take yourself or the situations around you too seriously, as it is likely that it is just those nasty hormones running amok!

Do as little as possible on the first few days. I know that this isn’t always avoidable. I once had to move house on the day of my period! Nasty! I make the most of movies and reading on the first day. It is also a good idea to avoid overstimulation. Choose nice and happy movies rather than those boy movies with shooting and blood and stuff! Avoid anything that makes you feel negative. I avoid the news… ha ha!

Try not to panic or overthink things. I know for me, I find this one the hardest. Every period is a tester to see if what we have implemented last month has made a difference to how our Endo is doing. When I am sore…. again… I get all edgy about it and a level of frustration with it starts to emerge. I start to develop those nasty panic thoughts… you know the ones where you think it is never going to end, why aren’t I getting better etc. Try and keep yourself busy with positive things, so you avoid going there. Girly movies are the best!

Don’t use a heat pack or wheat pack – contradictory to what we may have been told, they actually make things worse! Check this video interview out with expert Chris talking about heat and the dangers of it.

Do some kind of gentle movements to open up the abdominal area. This could be yoga or simply creating a figure 8 with your pelvis. It is important to not simply lie in a fetal position or sit closed up for too long. This restricts blood flow and will likely make the pain so much worse.

Pain can be something that is ever constant with having Endometriosis and I don’t wish it on anyone. I suffered for so many years and certainly don’t want you to suffer too!

I created a fabulous guide to help you reduce your overall pain, which includes more ideas and tips beyond the ones I have already shared with you. You can grab a copy here.

What have you done to alleviate your period pain? Have you tried any of these and have they worked for you? Got any more ideas other ladies can try to reduce period pain with Endometriosis?

Hi Mel. I’m so happy to find your blog again. I’m getting ready to go off HBC that I was using to not have periods at all. For more than 6 months. I’m just not happy suppressing a part of myself. But I’m scared. I don’t want to end up in bed in agony again. Where should I start?